Atlantique Telecom selects Ericsson to manage African networks

Wed Mar 13, 2013 4:00am EDT

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*Five-year contract for Ericsson to manage mobile networks for Atlantique Telecom in its Western
and Central African operations
*Up to 10 million subscribers stand to benefit from improved network quality.
*Partnership supports Atlantique Telecom's focus on leading a new generation of operators in
Africa.
Atlantique Telecom, part of The Etisalat Group, today announced that it has entered a five year
multi-country managed services agreement with Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to manage its entire mobile
networks.
During the past decade, the number of mobile connections in Africa has grown an average of 30% per
year and the growth pace is not slowing down. Atlantique Telecom aims to develop offerings based
on value-added services to its growing subscriber base, taking into account the specific
requirements of each consumer and providing solutions tailored to their expectations. This
agreement enables Etisalat to focus even more on their core business - delivering innovative
offerings to their customers.
Nagi Abboud, CEO of Atlantique Telecom said: "With the evolution of the competitive landscape in
our markets, we need to adapt our operating model to provide a better service to our end users.
Adopting this business outsourcing model is therefore an important step in our group strategy
execution that will be for the benefit of our subscribers, who remain our top priority, and this
will, as well, open new growth opportunities to our employees."
Lars Lindén, Head of Ericsson in region sub-Saharan Africa says, "Managed services is a proven
business model to support operators in growth mode and it is one of the most dynamic areas in our
industry. Our work together will support Atlantique Telecom in defining a new generation of
operators in Africa."
The contract covers network operations, field maintenance, network optimization and spare parts
management for Etisalat' s multivendor mobile networks, including access, core and transmission,
as well as value added services.
NOTES TO EDITORS
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Ericsson is the world's leading provider of communications technology and services. We are
enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time solutions that allow us all to study, work
and live our lives more freely, in sustainable societies around the world.
Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within Information and Communications
Technology for telecom operators and other industries. Today more than 40 percent of the world's
mobile traffic goes through Ericsson networks and we support customers' networks servicing more
than 2.5 billion subscribers.
We operate in 180 countries and employ more than 100,000 people. Founded in 1876, Ericsson is
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About Atlantique Telecom:
Atlantique Telecom is part of Etisalat Group, with operations in Benin, Central Africa Republic,
Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Niger and Togo
Strong commitment to excellence and innovation has seen Etisalat become one of the world's
fastest-growing telecom groups, rapidly expanding across Asia and Africa. Its UAE operations,
strategically located at the crossroads of East and West, enables Etisalat to be the major hub in
the Middle East for Internet, voice, broadcast, roaming and corporate data services. Etisalat has
been recognised as 'Best Operator' 10 times since 2006 and 'Best Wholesale Provider' four times in
the last three years. Servicing over 130 million customers in 15 countries Etisalat continues to
reach out to new customers and markets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
Ericsson Corporate Communications
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
E-mail: media.relations@ericsson.com mailto:media.relations@ericsson.com
Ericsson Investor Relations
Telefon: +46 10 719 00 00
E-post: investor.relations@ericsson.com mailto:investor.relations@ericsson.com
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